Apothecary

2021

acrylic on canvas

Star Stuff
Gazing up through the dark mystery of night
And contemplating the vast array of countless stars,
I never imagined these orbs of light, in all their magnificence,
Had anything whatsoever to do with me.
Experiencing a separation between those stars and myself,
A distance much greater than the awesome physical one separating us,
I feel an emptiness in my soul, as many people do
That perceives these heavenly patterns of light, adorning the night sky,
As precious jewels asking nothing more of us
Than to gaze at them in childlike wonder.
Perhaps this illusion of separateness from something so beautiful
Contributes to the pain felt in each lonely heart on Earth,
Suggesting to us that we are isolated from everyone and everything.
If we were fully knowledgable of a forgotten truth
That tells us, instead, we are very much part of all creation,
Would we still be plagued by an insatiable longing
For a closer relationship to ourselves and each other?
If we were completely aware that the radiance we collectively admire
Reflects back to Earth a dance of light that is also within us,
Would we not see ourselves, and indeed, our world, much differently?
The reality, at the deepest level of our being, is that
Every one of us is the cosmic universe in human form.
In fact, all life is an interconnected, evolving mosaic of elements
Created from the alchemy of massive, exploding stars.
With this insight of remembering our oneness with those stars,
I now can perceive more than twinkling orbs of light blinking in the night sky.
Stars are heavenly bodies courageously following their destiny,
Freely giving their essence so that all in the galaxy may flourish and grow.
Everyone is light, the Cosmos is pure love and everything is made of stardust.